Keema Matar | Spicy Ground Meat with Peas in Instant Pot or Stove-top

Keema Matar or Keema Mutter, is an Indian dish where minced meat (Keema) is simmered with warm Indian spices (garam masala) and finished by sautéing with Green Peas (Matar).

This dish, like many meat dishes in the northern part of India, is said to have Persian roots and was brought to India by the Mughals. The simplicity and ease of this dish makes it a weeknight wonder, and it’s elegance makes it an entertaining classic. Folklore has it that during the Mughal period, the royals used to serve it on special occasions.

Its easy to customize this recipe to your style and taste. You can add your ground meat of choice- chicken, turkey, beef or lamb. You can substitute peas with potatoes and you have yourself another classic from the book called “Keema Aloo” (Minced meat with potatoes). This is a semi-dry dish and you can be enjoy it with Naan, pita bread or with simple basmati rice.

Stove Top Instructions

Keema Matar can be made in a skillet, in a sauce pan or in a pressure cooker. In the video above, I made this using my electric pressure cooker, the Instant Pot DUO. Making this on the stove-top is a breeze.

Here’s how:

Start by heating a skillet on medium high heat. When it’s heated (about 30 seconds to a minute), add oil and add chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste. Sauté for a minute.

Add salt and all dry spices and sauté for 30 seconds.

Then, add 1/4 cup water and 3 tablespoons of tomato paste. Adding water makes it easier to stir and blend the tomato paste. Stir and sauté for 30 seconds.

Add 1/2 cup water and ground meat. Adding the water with the meat helps in incorporating the spice mix with the meat. Use a wooden spoon or a tall spatula to break the meat it into smaller chunks. Mix it well.

Cover the skillet. Reduce heat to “Medium” and cook for 15 minutes, stirring once in between. If using ground chicken, adjust cooking time to 10 minutes.

Remove the lid, turn on the heat to Medium-high and add frozen or fresh peas. Sauté for 1-2 minutes , till the extra liquid evaporates and peas cook through. Turn off the heat. Stir in some fresh chopped cilantro and you’re done!

Dishes with Keema Matar

I use this recipe as a base to many fusion dishes in my home. We love making Indian Sloppy Joeswith it, or wrap it in a tortilla, add some cabbage slaw and make a Keema Matar Wrap, and my kids’ favorite twist to this is Keema Quesadillas! Check out the the recipe for these delicious quesadillas here. Another great option is Keema Naan Pizza. It is simply delicious. I like to cut it up in pieces and serve it as appetizers for cocktails or big parties too!

Finely chop onion and ginger-garlic. Turn on the Instant Pot on Sauté. Wait 30 seconds for it to warm up. Add oil and chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste. Sauté for a minute.

Add salt and all dry spices and sauté for 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup water and 3 tablespoons of tomato paste. (Adding water makes it easier to stir and blend the tomato paste.) Stir and sauté for 30 seconds.

Add 1/2 cup water and ground meat. Adding the water with the meat helps in incorporating the spice mix with the meat. Use a wooden spoon or a tall spatula to break the meat it into smaller chunks. Mix it well.

Close the lid. Set valve to Sealing. Cook on Manual for 10 minutes and then release the pressure manually (QR). If using ground chicken or turkey, reduce the cook time to 8 minutes.

Open the lid, turn Instant pot on Saute. Add frozen or fresh peas. Sauté for 1-2 minutes till the extra liquid evaporates and peas cook through. Turn off the IP. Stir in some fresh chopped cilantro and you're done!

Stove top recipe

Start by heating a skillet on medium high heat. When it's heated (about 30 seconds to a minute), add oil and add chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste. Sauté for a minute.

Add salt and all dry spices and sauté for 30 seconds. Then, add 1/4 cup water and 3 tablespoons of tomato paste. Adding water makes it easier to stir and blend the tomato paste. Stir and sauté for 30 seconds.

Add 1/2 cup water and ground meat. Adding the water with the meat helps in incorporating the spice mix with the meat. Use a wooden spoon or a tall spatula to break the meat it into smaller chunks. Mix it well.

Cover the skillet. Reduce heat to "Medium" and cook for 15 minutes, stirring once in between. If using ground chicken, adjust cooking time to 10 minutes.

Remove the lid, turn on the heat to Medium-high and add frozen or fresh peas. Sauté for 1-2 minutes , till the extra liquid evaporates and peas cook through. Turn off the heat. Stir in some fresh chopped cilantro and you're done!

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